24. November 2021

Launch of the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab Launch of the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab

Opening event on November 25: Researchers from the University of Bonn and guests raise awareness for sustainability of artificial intelligence

On November 25 the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab at the University of Bonn will have its official launch event. A wide range of highly regarded speakers like Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Dr. Enno Aufderheide, Secretary General of the Humboldt Foundation and Jan Kleijssen, Council of Europe, will address the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on society and express the urgency to conduct more research and experiments on AI to get a grip on its rapid development. The Rector of the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Hoch, and the co-director of the Institute of Science and Ethics (IWE) and head of the Sustainable AI Lab, Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe, will perform the opening ceremony. Journalists can attend the event after registration. The start is at 16:00.

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The Sustainable AI Lab is a space for excellent researchers from different fields to work, collaborate, and brainstorm about the environmental, social, and economic costs of designing, developing, and using AI across society. The questions to be explored span multiple disciplines and levels of analysis, for example: the normative rationale for the value of sustainability; the strength of the concept of sustainability; how to measure the environmental costs of AI; understanding the intergenerational impacts of AI; and inform public policy guidelines for the development of green, proportionate, and sustainable uses of AI.

Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe: “The lab is an initiative of mine and made possible through funding from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. Backed by a strong team of researchers and also artists and knowledge partners, we are working to strengthen Germany as an excellence hub for research and awareness projects dedicated to the sustainability of AI. Our recent presence at COP26 in Glasgow, where we presented a unique artwork by artist Roosmarijn Pallandt, and organized a session on the sustainability of AI in the UNFCCC Pavilion, were perfect examples of our commitment to this topic. We have also funded a research project on the topic of ,Data Pollution and Power’, led by Dr. Gry Hasselbalch.”

Last but not least Aimee van Wynsberghe is pleased to announce that she and her team will be partnering with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat to facilitate knowledge transfer and dissemination by sharing information and resources. Lic. Patricia Espinosa: “Artificial intelligence is at the cutting edge of current scientific and technological progress. It holds enormous promise, but it is imperative to better understand how it affects global efforts against climate change.”

https://sustainable-ai.eu/
https://www.iwe.uni-bonn.de/en

Note for journalists:

The launch (16:00 to 19:00) is an invite-only event. In addition, the 2G-plus rules apply. For media attendance or inquiries to interview Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe:

Charlotte Bander (lab manager)
Phone: +49 228 738120
Email: charlotte.bander@uni-bonn.de

Edwin Bos (PR-manager ad interim)
Phone +31 613567252
Email: edwin@rred.nl

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